Palm Beach property owner renames Worth Avenue via after himself

Monday

To the displeasure of some council members, a Worth Avenue property owner is renaming a via after himself.

The Town Council unanimously approved a request this month to rename Via DeMario to Via Newsome after the via’s owner, John Newsome Jr.

Worth Avenue, a street distinguished by its vias (tucked-away shopping quarters off the main road), has never officially changed the name of any of its vias, Director of Planning, Zoning and Building Josh Martin told the council. But Martin, along with Newsome’s attorney, Peter Carney, said Worth Avenue has a history of property owners unofficially changing the names of its vias.

“They were just done by word of mouth,” Martin told the council. “They were changed in the middle of the night.”

Still, the council seemed confused by the request.

“I just have a quick question,” Council President Danielle Moore said during the meeting. “Why do we want to rename the via?”

Carney responded, “Because the owner requests it.”

“I guess that’s as good of a reason as any,” Moore said.

The via, at 325 Worth Ave., houses Cafe Delamar, Bee Goddess Fine Jewelry and other businesses. The name changing will have no effect on the addresses for those businesses, but the new signs for the renamed via will need to be approved by the town’s Architectural Commission.

According to the town, only two other vias had been unofficially renamed in Palm Beach’s history: Via Amore, at 250 Worth Ave., was previously Via Gucci; Via DeMario was previously named Via Kaufer.

More Palm Beach news

Despite the unanimous approval, the request received only reluctant support, Moore said. And Councilwoman Bobbie Lindsay said those who grew up in Palm Beach were accustomed to the via's old name.

“You could say there wasn't great enthusiasm on the desk for the concept,” Moore told the council.